How to Get Rid of Salt Accumulation on a Potted Plant

Potted plants don't have the benefit of large amounts of soil to help distribute minerals. They're also usually watered with tap water and fed with houseplant fertilizers, creating the perfect storm for salt accumulation. No matter how carefully you care for your plants, most eventually accumulate a layer of tiny white crystals on the surface of the soil and sides of their pot. If you take care of salt accumulation before it becomes a large problem, the salt likely won't damage your plants.

1

Place your plant's pot on a large saucer or in the sink to catch runoff water.

2

Water from the top to flush salt out of the soil. Use approximately twice the pot's volume in water for each flushing. Empty the drip pan or drain the sink, and then flush again. Once all the runoff water drains from the soil, empty the drip pan, if you are using one, a final time. Do not leave the plant in the salty water or it will simply reabsorb it. Flush every four to six months to prevent accumulation, advises the Texas Master Gardener Handbook.

3

Gently remove the top 1 to 2 inches of soil if flushing didn't get rid of the accumulated salts. Clean salt from the sides of the pot with water and your finger. Add fresh, fast-draining potting soil to replace the soil you removed. Water with distilled water, and discard the runoff.

4

Water your plants from the top rather than the bottom, sprinkling water onto the soil rather than letting it leach up from a saucer under the pot, if salt accumulation becomes a regular problem. Switch from tap water to filtered to distilled water for at least some waterings to keep salt accumulation at bay. Always empty the pot's saucer after each watering to prevent salt reabsorption.

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About the Author

A Jill-of-all-trades, Lillian Downey is a certified Responsible Sexuality Educator, certified clinical phlebotomist and a certified non-profit administrator. She's also written extensively on gardening and cooking. She also authors blogs on nail art blog and women's self esteem.

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Downey, Lillian. "How to Get Rid of Salt Accumulation on a Potted Plant." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rid-salt-accumulation-potted-plant-22621.html. Accessed 20 March 2019.

Downey, Lillian. (n.d.). How to Get Rid of Salt Accumulation on a Potted Plant. Home Guides | SF Gate. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rid-salt-accumulation-potted-plant-22621.html

Downey, Lillian. "How to Get Rid of Salt Accumulation on a Potted Plant" accessed March 20, 2019. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rid-salt-accumulation-potted-plant-22621.html

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